programs Minnie Stevens Piper Compendium

Student Aid Center and Bexar County Scholarship Clearing House

Established in 1961, the Student Aid Center provides information through the Student Aid Library regarding college admissions, financial assistance and career planning. On a walk-in basis, individuals use college catalogs, admissions and financial aid reference, computer software programs, and other materials in the library to conduct their own research.

Over 2,000 senior college catalogs, both undergraduate and graduate for the United States are available for on-premise use. Specialized catalogs are available for art, music, seminaries, military, law, medical, dental, and nursing schools, as well as directories of schools outside North America. The Texas collection includes current catalogs from all public and private, junior and senior colleges and universities in addition to graduate, professional and technical schools.

More than 30 reference works on financial assistance are on file. The references list sources of scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans for specialized studies, minorities, and the financially needy. Individuals may also search for financial aid through a computer software program. This program lists over 500 financial aid sources for college-bound students.

The Career Development section of the library has occupational literature describing those careers requiring one or more years of college. References include the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Occupational Outlook Handbook, and related publications.

The Student Aid Center annually distributes the San Antonio/Bexar County Scholarship Opportunities publication. This publication lists financial aid opportunities available only to Bexar County high school seniors and is published and distributed to counselors in the San Antonio area.

The Bexar County Scholarship Clearing House, established in 1965, as an adjunct to the Library, serves as a liaison between applicants and scholarship donors. The purpose of the clearing house is to eliminate unnecessary duplication of work on the part of the counselors, students, donors, and parents; to broaden the scope of scholarship opportunities in this area; to expedite processing of scholarships to an earlier period of the senior year; and to standardize scholarship application forms.

Applicants are Bexar County high school seniors who are in the top quarter of their graduating class and are recommended by their counselor. Donors are local organizations who wish to assist high school students in furthering their educational goals. Complete dossiers on student participants are maintained and are available, with proper authorization, to representatives of agencies awarding scholarships.